After last week’s 49-9 drubbing in Cincinnati, it can’t get much worse for the Jets (4-4) in Week 9, right? Wrong. The Saints come to town on Sunday fresh off a 37-17 home win over the Bills. Here are three reasons to be worried about the Jets’ potentially heading into a Week 10 bye below .500.
Brees in the airIt’s no secret that quarterback Drew Brees makes the New Orleans offense go. Statistically speaking, he’s one of the top passers ever and has a Super Bowl ring. His numbers are there again this season with a 19-5 TD-to-INT ratio. If Andy Dalton can tear up the Jets secondary, it’s hard to believe Antonio Cromartie and company will do much better against a more effective passing attack.
No rush for the SaintsThe Jets can boast the No. 1 run defense in the league, holding teams to just 77.9 yards per game. Here’s the problem: The Saints don’t like to run the ball. They’re in the bottom third of the league in terms of rush attempts. Most of the teams ranked that low are well below .500 and tend to play from behind. The Saints are 6-1 and have won with as few as 64 rushing yards, which they did against the Bears last month.
Struggling SmithGeno Smith has been in a funk for weeks now. Over the past three contests, Smith has two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and five interceptions, while completing 57.8% of his passes. He has shown flashes of skill, but he’s been playing the part of a rookie starting quarterback very convincingly of late. The Saints have picked off nine passes this season and may add a few more this weekend.
